Chilean teen wows Memorial
Niemann shares lead; Tiger fires 67, trails by six shots
DUBLIN, Ohio — Joaquin Niemann could figure out where Tiger Woods was on the golf course from the mass of people following him a few groups ahead, and he had a pretty good idea what he was doing from all the noise, at least before Woods put a putter in his hands. “There was so many people,” Niemann said. The few that stuck behind for the 19-year-old Chilean saw another good show.
In his fifth start as a pro, Niemann finished with two birdies over his last three holes for a 4-under 68 and a share of the Memorial lead with Kyle Stanley, who had a 66. He finished with an 8-foot birdie on the 18th hole.
Woods made Muirfield Village sound like a rock concert until storms arrived. He holed out with a sand wedge from 97 yards for eagle on the par-5 11th hole, and then his tee shot on the par-3 12th struck the flag waving in the wind and settled 6 feet behind the hole.
And then he sat out a weather delay that lasted just under 90 minutes, and he missed four putts under 7 feet the rest of the way.
“It could have been easily a nice little 62 or 63,” Woods said. “I turned it into a 67.”
And he was six shots behind with nearly two dozen players in front of him.
Stanley, who won the Quicken Loans National last summer, was atop the leaderboard for much of the day and was starting to pull away until a poor tee shot at No. 6 led to bogey. He finished with a par save from just off the ninth green and reached 11-under 133.
On the other side of the course was Niemann, the No. 1 amateur in the world and Latin American Amateur champion who wanted to play the Masters before turning pro. He looks his age when his braces shine every time he smiles. He plays beyond his years.
Already with a pair of top 10s on the PGA Tour, Niemann now finds himself in the last group going into the weekend at the tournament Jack Nicklaus built, and he doesn’t appear to be the least bit nervous about being there.
“It feels really nice to be on top of the leaderboard,” he said. “It does feel really nice for tomorrow.”
Byeong Hun An had a 67 and was two shots behind.
Among those three off the lead were Hideki Matsuyama (71), who earned his first PGA Tour title at the Memorial three years ago, and Jason Day, a former world No. 1 who is a member at Muirfield Village and has never come close to winning.
USGA: In Birmingham, Ala., Sarah Jane Smith extended her lead at the U.S. Women’s Open to four strokes after a second straight 5-under 67 Friday at Shoal Creek.
The Australian got her round in before a 2-hour, 49-minute weather delay. The second round will be completed today with the low 60 scorers plus ties making the cut.
Smith opened the day in a three-way tie atop the leaderboard with Thailand’s Ariya Jutanugarn and Korean Jeongeun Lee. She’s at 10-under 134 heading into the weekend after failing to make the cut in five of her previous six U.S. Women’s Open tries.
Jutanugarn had an opening birdie to move to 6 under through eight holes. Lee fell back to 2 under with a second-day 75. Korean-born Su-Hyun Oh shot 68 and is also 6 under.
GOLFING SMOLTZ: Hall of Fame pitcher John Smoltz qualified for the U.S. Senior Open on Thursday in Peachtree City, Ga., emerging from a three-man playoff to take the final spot.
Three places were up for grabs in the 18-hole qualifier at Planterra Ridge Golf Club. Jack Larkin and Sonny Skinner got through in regulation by shooting 4-under 68, with Smoltz and two others one stroke back.
Brian Tennyson was eliminated on the first playoff hole with a bogey. On the third extra hole, Smoltz finished off Brian Ferris despite making double bogey.
Smoltz spent most of his career with the Atlanta Braves. He finished with a record of 213-155 with 154 saves — making him the only pitcher in baseball history with 200 wins and 150 saves.
The 2018 U.S. Senior Open will be held June 28-July 1 at The Broadmoor-East Course in Colorado Springs.